Attack on Canada, U.S is attack on Muslims: imams

[Phil1]

Attack on Canada, U.S is attack on Muslims: imams
Last Updated: Friday, January 8, 2010 | 3:36 PM ET
CBC News

A group of Canadian and U.S. Islamic leaders on Friday issued a fatwa, or religious edict, declaring that an attack by extremists on the two countries would constitute an attack on the 10 million Muslims living in North America.

The 20 imams associated with the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada said this marked the first fatwa by the Muslim clergy declaring attacks on Canada and the U.S. as attacks on Muslims.

"In our view, these attacks are evil, and Islam requires Muslims to stand up against this evil," the imams said in their fatwa.

The imams also said it is a duty of every Muslim in Canada and the U.S. to safeguard the two countries.

"They must expose any person, Muslim or non-Muslim, who would cause harm to fellow Canadians or Americans," they said.

The 20 imams who signed the fatwa come from B.C., Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and Houston.

The fatwa comes just weeks after an attempted bombing on Christmas Day of a U.S. airliner bound for Detroit from Amsterdam.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian Muslim man, has been indicted on six charges, which include attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction and attempted murder.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/01/08/canada-muslim-fatwa-attack-canada-united-states.html

The leading Imam in Canada stated today in an interview that several(didn't say how many)imams in the US didn't sign because some were afraid of retaliation for family members in their home countries.

 

[Pok]

Re: Attack on Canada, U.S is attack on Muslims: imams

Interesting. Will be watching for how this plays out.

Are these US and Canadian muslims considered a big deal in the world muslim community?

 

[Queequeg]

Re: Attack on Canada, U.S is attack on Muslims: imams

And is it excessively nit picky to ask why this wasn't thought of back in '93' or maybe 2001?

 

[Phil1]

Re: Attack on Canada, U.S is attack on Muslims: imams

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: queequeg</div><div class="ubbcode-body">And is it excessively nit picky to ask why this wasn't thought of back in '93' or maybe 2001? </div></div>

There was silence from Muslim imams in 1993, 2001, the attacks in Spain and the UK. This is <span style="font-weight: bold">a start</span>,the delay of which should be deeply embarrassing for Islam.

 

[Maggot]

Re: Attack on Canada, U.S is attack on Muslims: imams

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Lets just hope for the best.

 

[Sean the Nailer]

Re: Attack on Canada, U.S is attack on Muslims: imams

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Goldie</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Lets just hope for the best.</div></div>

Tread softly, and carry a BIG stick.

 

[ZLBubba]

Re: Attack on Canada, U.S is attack on Muslims: imams

It's misrepresentative to talk about "Islam" as if it's an institution. As we all know but often fail to remind ourselves, it is a largely decentralized religion, i.e. no Pope or prophet to speak on behalf of the larger religion.

This fatwa is a good development, not because it could affect would-be terrorists, but because it can promote more movement within the Canadian and American Muslim communities toward condemnation of terrorist activities. Remember, we would not be succeeding in Iraq without religious leaders that aligned themselves with Coalition forces. The Sunni Awakening played a far larger role in turning the tide of the Iraq War than any other single factor, IMO. Without a doubt, imams and ustadzes were my number one allies downrange. For every cleric spewing hate, there's another one condemning terrorism. The former simply makes more headlines.